COLORADO: Pikes Peak, at the front of the Rocky Mountain Range, was christened "America's Mountain" for its part in inspiring the words to "America the Beautiful."

CONNECTICUT: Like other New England states, Connecticut is a stunning place to stop and see the fall foliage. Fun fact: The trees along the Connecticut River, from the mouth of the Long Island Sound to East Haddam, hold the foliage the longest.

FLORIDA: The Everglades, a watery wilderness formed by trees and marshland, is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. It's worth a trip after visiting Walt Disney World.

GEORGIA: The quartz monzonite dome for which Stone Mountain Park is named stands nearly 1,700 feet tall. It got a not-so-natural upgrade: A carving depicts three Confederate figures during the Civil War: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.

HAWAII: At the Kilauea volcano, magma comes flying out in solid chunks of ash rather than seeping out as lava, making the volcano not only beautiful but also dangerous.

IDAHO: The "fire rainbow" is a rare phenomenon that occurs only in certain areas, like Idaho, where the sun can reach more than 58 degrees above the horizon. Ice crystals in the atmosphere capture the light of the sun and refract all the colors of the rainbow.

ILLINOIS: Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes located entirely in the US. While it also shares waterfront with Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin, the lake provides drinking water for 8.5 million Illinoisans, making it an important natural resource for the state.

MICHIGAN: Lake Superior surrounds Isle Royale National Park, home to free-roaming moose and wolves. Lake Superior could hold all the other bodies of water in the Great Lakes.

MINNESOTA: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness spans over one million acres in the northern part of Minnesota. The area is mostly water interspersed with tiny islands that formed as the glaciers of the last ice age retreated and deposited huge boulders.

MONTANA: Glacier National Park features rugged peaks, pristine forests, glacier-carved valleys, and sparkling waters. It's a hiker's paradise, with more than 700 miles of trails.

NEBRASKA: Chimney Rock National Historic Site is a geological formation left over from the erosion of the bluffs at the edge of the North Platte Valley. The spire rises 325 feet from the base and is composed of layers of volcanic ash and Brule clay.

NEVADA: Named for the brilliant sandstone formations that burn red like the sun, Valley of Fire State Park was formed 150 million years ago by shifting in the sand dunes.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: The highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington stretches 6,288 feet into the sky. In fair weather, its summit offers views of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Quebec, and even New York.

NEW YORK: Niagara Falls flushes 3,160 tons of water over its falls every second and produces over four million kilowatts of electricity, which is shared by the US and Canada.

NORTH CAROLINA: Along the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Appalachian Highlands is one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the world: home to 100 varieties of trees, 1,600 plant species, 54 mammals, and 159 species of birds.

RHODE ISLAND: Often compared to the cliffs of Ireland, the 200-foot-tall Mohegan Bluffs offer panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors must climb down 140 steps and over yards of boulders in order to reach the beach, but it's worth the trip.

TENNESSEE: For two weeks every summer, a special species of fireflies gathers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for mating season. The fireflies blink in unison.

TEXAS: A pink granite dome rising above Enchanted Rock State Natural Area formed a billion years ago, when a large pool of magma buoyed above the Earth's surface, cooled, and slowly turned to granite. It's an exfoliation dome, meaning it has layers like an onion.

WASHINGTON: Olympic National Park contains glacial mountains, beaches, and rain forests in its one million acres. The famed Hall of Mosses is blanked in a lush green canopy.

WEST VIRGINIA: The aptly named Mountain State is the only state that lies completely within the Appalachian Mountain region. You can hike all of the Appalachian Trail's 2,184 miles, passing through West Virginia and traversing scenic, wooded, and pastoral lands.